Central Cee - Wild West

The Guardian 60

(ADA)
Most interesting when he’s bending the UK drill template, can this west Londoner break out of the mould? He’s got the gifts

Two tracks into 22-year-old west Londoner Central Cee’s punchy debut mixtape, he raps: “Who’s up next? They’re saying it’s Cench / What’s the odds? Place your bets.” By “they” he could equally mean the suburban kids he says have “picked up our language” or the industry execs who have spied a golden egg in the UK’s blossoming drill scene. The odds certainly look good. He’s bagged two Top 20 singles already, and boasts more than 2.7m monthly listeners on Spotify. BBC Radio 1Xtra picked him for the station’s Hot For 2021 shortlist, and he shares reps with Jorja Smith, AJ Tracey, and Stormzy. Warner’s distribution arm, ADA, snapped up the rights to this, his first mixtape.